Chassis

The liquidation of Yellow Corp., once the largest less-than-truckload (LTL) and the nation’s 13th-largest trucking company when it ceased operations last August, has continued to prove that Yellow’s assets were valuable even without operating as a functioning trucking company.  

J.B. Hunt Transport signed a multiyear deal with global retail giant Walmart, with a key component of the deal being its acquisition of Walmart’s intermodal assets, including its operational intermodal container and chassis fleets.  

This expansion allows Averitt to meet increased demand and support the growing volume of cargo in and out of the Port of Charleston. The facility is located at 7749 Palmetto Commerce Parkway in North Charleston.

Total October volume—at 1,552,029 units—was down 0.8% annually. Trailers—at 68,747—fell 30.1%, for the steepest decline, and topping September’s 28.6% annual decline. Domestic containers—at 700,512—were down 0.9%. And all domestic equipment, which is comprised of trailers and domestic containers, fell 4.4%, to 769,259. ISO, or international containers, were the lone segment to see an annual gain, rising 3.2%, to 752,770.

The session, entitled “Understanding America’s Supply Chain Woes,” featured supply chain stakeholders from three different perspectives: a port operator, Barbara Melvin, COO, South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA); a shipper, Linda Fonkoue, Global Supply Base Manager, Logistics, Deere and Company; and a motor carrier, Charlie Prickett, President & COO, AAA Cooper Transportation. The session was moderated by Logistics Management.

Total October volume—at 1,534,650 units—decreased 10.0% annually, below September’s 7.3% annual decline. Trailers—at 98,324—fell 14.3%, not quite as steep as September’s 15.2% annual decline, and domestic containers—at 706,746—were off 6.3%. All domestic equipment, which includes trailers and domestic containers—at 805,070—decreased 7.3%. ISO, or international, containers—at 729,580—saw a 12.8% annual decrease.

For the third quarter, IANA reported that total intermodal volume—at 4,583,852—fell 2.9% annually. Trailers—at 289,264—were off 11.2%, and domestic containers—at 1,982,977—fell 5.7%. All domestic equipment—at 2,272,241—were down 6.5%. The lone category posting an annual gain was ISO, or international, containers—at 2,311,611—for a 0.9% increase.

The ocean shipping sector is as active as it gets these days, for a whole host of reasons, too, including ongoing COVID-19-driven demand, port congestion issues, equipment imbalances (larglely containers), and rate pressure, among others. Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Sri Laxmana, Vice President of Global Transportation at Minneapolis-based global logistics services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson, about these topics and others.

DCLI Chassis Link, a Charlotte, NC-based provider of marine chassis and asset management services to the U.S. intermodal industry, said it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire TRAC Intermodal’s fleet of roughly 72,000 53-foot domestic chassis and related customer and hosting contracts with major Class I railroads and intermodal shipping companies throughout the United States.